Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2 is Controversial | Retrospective

The Dragon Ball Z Budokai video game series was the first opportunity millions of fans around the world had to play as characters from Dragon Ball franchise. Dragon Ball Z Budokai 2 is considered the most controversial game in the series largely due to it's unique story mode. This mode is called Dragon World and takes place on board game like stages. Budokai 2 was the last entry in the series on the GameCube as Budokai 3 jump to being exclusive to the PS2.
In this game retrospective review I break down Dragon World and the mechanics of Budokai 2 to explain why I still love Budokai 2 despite it being the least popular entry. Budokai 2 even had the misfortune of being left out of the Dragon Ball Z: Budokai HD Collection that repacked Budokai and Budokai 2 with HD graphics for the Xbox 360 and PS3.
Video Chapters:
0:00 Intro
1:28 Game Modes
5:54 Dragon World
13:31 Gameplay Mechanics and the ESS
18:49 Conclusion
#dragonballz #dragonballzbudokai2 #gamecube

[@VirtualLegacy]

I just want to thank all the viewers of the video! This video really took off for my channel. The response has been amazing and the fact this game holds such a special place in my heart makes it all the more rewarding. I appreciate it everyone and there's more content coming in the future 🍻

[@TakashiAMV]

Keep doing what u love bro good job 💫

[@yahugod]

The best dragon ball game ever made is dragon ball Tenkaichi 3!!!

[@aceDOZA]

The algorithm blessed you

[@AndrewAce.]

Thanks for making this! This game needs more love!

[@lightningandodinify]

you have a knack for video essays. I hope your channel continues to grow. Of course, your choice of topic is a huge factor, and Dragon Ball controversies will always be favoured by the algorithm.

[@MyNameJefff]

Budokai 2 is a unique experience. It doesn’t even play bad, it’s entirely hated due to the story mode WHICH IS HONESTLY SO FUN. It fixed the combat of the first and made it actually fun. The combat system doesn’t have the exact same depth of Budokai 3 and Infinite World but it definitely does have some sauce.

[@lucasnn2008]

The Budokai II would be perfect in the remastered collection as a bridge between the I and the III, and also because It has some different fusions, which they removed on the III

[@torpedocyclonetom217]

Honestly so pressed I never got to play it

[@torpedocyclonetom217]

@Wyolkens_ thank you

[@FN64Productions]

I mean tbh story mode didn't fix the combat, the game fixed the combat I think the let down was not seeing buu saga characters in cut scenes. Had to wait until infinite world for that but even then alot of people had moved on to next gen and got burst limit

[@urekmazino6800]

Loved this game!

[@RexBebopHD]

Man, you reminded me how much replay value Budokai 2 had, I loved Dragon World and the board game aspect it had to it...minus Kid Buu being completely ruthless at the very end of it, I remember the frustration of fighting and losing to him all too well. This is extremely well made and I'm floored that you only have 70 subs. Can't wait to see your channel grow and see more from you, man! Subbed!

[@Chris-xc1hm]

375 now! This kept popping up in ny feed and i assume others, glad this guys getting some spotlight.

[@shaquonstewart3736]

That was a challenge!

[@Chowderman36]

Kid buu was so mean i miss this game

[@tahjsimon9058]

I had to cheese that fight square, square, square, triangle, triangle 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@Coreisus]

I know I beat this game like 10 or so times as a kid. (Probably 11 at most, maybe 8 at least). But as an adult, I, for the life of me, don't know how!! Fucking struggling on Majin Buu!

[@commaGarbage]

Absolutely loved this game as a kid, I used the play the story mode by divvying up the 2-4 characters between my siblings and solely using them. I remember scratching the disc to a point it stopped. I remember it finally working again after trying one day. And rushing to tell my siblings so we could all play.

[@statesminds]

I’m still mad Budokai 2 wasn’t on the HD collection. It is my favorite Budokai. Sure 3 was awesome with letting you fly around and the roster but 2 just holds special place in my heart.

[@windows98alpha35]

Finally. Someone with actual taste in the DB community spitting respect on B2’s name.

[@NicoPezzotti712]

The only game having Super Buu absorbing Cell, Frieza, Vegeta... And even Yamcha/Tenshinhan together. Amazing feature that literally never came back in future games.

[@JonathanLukeAvery]

Wait I don’t remember that. Does he transform every time? Like does he look like Cell after absorbing him?

[@NicoPezzotti712]

@@JonathanLukeAvery kinda, he get some features. My favorite is the Vegeta and the Frieza.

[@JonathanLukeAvery]

@@NicoPezzotti712 I just remember the weird fusions they had in there like Gokule lol

[@DiddyKongVsLuigi]

Preach it! This was my childhood. I couldn’t wait to come home from middle school and play some story mode! Then one day when my memory card corrupted, I did NOT mind replaying this beauty all over again. Always great to see this game get love. ❤️ You earned my sub.

[@VeylmanTheRock]

I used to practice against Kid Buu on the hardest difficulty in a tiny room with a good ol CRT TV. Only after beating him 3 times in a row would I stop and I could physically feel myself getting stronger. It was the coolest shit!

[@VirtualLegacy]

Beating him without the heart virus cheese makes you feel amazing!

[@BGNADS]

Did you used to comment on gamefaqs? Super random but I have this comment in mind that I remember about someone playing everyday training to get stronger and feeling like a Saiyan

[@VeylmanTheRock]

@@BGNADS Haha no I don't think that was me since I didn't have access to a computer or internet back then. Just overthrowing the tyranny of an older sibling 😎

[@BGNADS]

@@VeylmanTheRock haha I had to ask. I don’t remember exactly which gaming forum I found the comment but it’s been my bio on steam for probably ten years. Stories matched up so I had to ask if I accidentally came across the legend who wrote it 😂

[@BGNADS]

The legendary comment. I'm 13 and have had a PlayStation 2 for 7 years and this game for 3 years i don't mean to be rude but i would have noticed that cheat advanced world tournament is like novice to me cuz i seriously get on practice mode and fight on very hard it makes me stronger like an actual saiyan until next day i recommend practice and train with goku his strongest move is (warp kamehameha) it takes 2 health gauges when customly chosen twice with supersaiyan 😉

[@toastinos1135]

This game gets so much undeserved hate, i was torn to see it not included in the HD collection. This story mode may not be accurate but it’s one of the most interesting story modes any dragon ball game has ever had and holds up well imo. Insane to see you’re just now starting out. I expected this channel to be much bigger based on the quality of the content. Keep it up man!!!

[@VirtualLegacy]

I appreciate it! There's some good stuff coming soon

[@sky-oq5mr]

Naw Budokai Tenkaichi 3 being able to control the story in the fight you are in was sick

[@Rantandum]

I'm probably an odd man out to some people, but I didn't buy the HD Budokai collection specifically because it DIDN'T have Budokai 2. I loved the Dragon World story, it was a nice change of pace from just playing the same DBZ story again. Plus, it introduced a lot of mechanics and upgrades from Budokai 1, more so than people realize. More characters, fusions, custom skills, cel-shaded graphics. It was a sequel that stepped up the game in pretty much every way imaginable, and it's a shame that most players today don't realize that.

[@Sachi10007]

Dude the game is buns it didn’t deserve to be in the Budokai HD collection

[@zoltanwilson4277]

@@Sachi10007 We respect your opinion/perspective.

[@GribbleGob]

@@Sachi10007 Look the whipped Dragon Ball fanboy thinks it has an opinion.

[@MrHurdleking24]

Same

[@mr.mystere4999]

I also did not buy the so-called collection for that very reason and that they replaced all the music in B1 and B3 as well with music from BT2 and BT3.

[@user-gc3qj7md8c]

The Story Mode was great. Having random characters fusing added a ton of reply value.

[@DimkaSulegnaa]

I absolutely loved the board game style of Budokai 2’s story. Between unique ways to unlock characters and skills, the interactions with the characters can be pretty fun too. My first playthrough on Namek, there were several Goku vs Freeza fights where after a while of “i must defeat the enemy” messages there was an additional interaction between Goku and Freeza. I also like how they gave you multiple ways to unlock at least SS for Goku. If you beat Freeza, let Krillin die to Freeza or face 17 or 18 with Goku, you unlock SS. Also Buutanks is probably set on the highest difficulty when you face him with adult gohan, so it’s possible, but difficult to beat him without even needing Vegito. Also Gokule. Probably my favorite gag what if character.

[@dariusdafigga]

I LOVED that dragon world board game as a kid idk why/how it’s so controversial. Something about the strategic element of the story mode always appealed to me. I would still go back and play it now as a 23yr old

[@GribbleGob]

a majority of Dragon Ball fans don't want to think, they just want to see Goku and Vegeta screaming. most "bad" dragon ball games are actually really good.

[@PikaLink91]

@@GribbleGobThat's exactly it. The shows mindlessness reflects on the fans.

[@Kintaku]

Budokai 2 IS underrated. I was hurt when it got left out of the collection. The Dragon World was a really interesting concept that just needed tweaks and Babidi’s spaceship was really fun. It also significantly built on the original game’s mechanics. It shouldn’t have been left out.

[@MrStingBlade]

This is the most well timed video I think i've ever seen lmao. With the recent announcement this video will be on everyone's feeds. The views will skyrocket congrats man

[@reagenlionel]

Budokai 2 was also only game that had that soundtrack on that snow stage. That track was never reused in Budokai 3 or Tenkaichi 1.

[@mystic6301]

That's actually false. The OST you're referring to is called Challengers and it was in Budokai 1 and Tenkaichi 1

[@reagenlionel]

@@mystic6301 I'm not talking about the combat stages. I'm talking about the snow over world. I know well about challengers. It was even in Budokai Tenkaichi 1.

[@sky-oq5mr]

​@@mystic6301i think he means the red ribbon snow stage. Shit was beautiful

[@sonic5993]

I loved this game so much just because of the memories I had with my brother and the fact that we finally got to play as the Fusions.

[@unexplainablyjuicy9829]

This game and your channel are criminally underrated.

[@revthadon8868]

Fuck I'm still hot to this day that I couldn't play Budokai 2 on the HD Collection (and that was by far my least played and least favorite entry as a kid lol)

[@ShadowSayain1]

It's great to know that I'm not the only one who feels the same way about Budokai 2. My best friend and I have fond memories of playing the game when we we're younger and til this day, it's still a part of the content we make on our channel along with the other entries. I also have to say that I'm honored that you included a small clip of my old Gokule moveset video! I never would've expected that showing up and I appreciate you giving credit as well. I look forward to seeing where you go with your channel and I'm glad you made a video like this!

[@VirtualLegacy]

Thanks man!

[@DBZimran]

Budokai 2 is super underrated I loved the board game they used! As much as I love the second game, I have to admit Budokai 3 was just amazing and perfected the formula. Resulting in countless hours spent getting every unlockable as a kid. Budokai 2 was super nostalgic since the Buu saga had just wrapped up and the game was the first time we got to fight against buu. I remember the game exclusive fusions being promoted in game magazines at the time. Was definitely a great sequel and one that needs more attention.

[@ratmane3543]

It breaks my heart that people don't like the overworld or story mode of budukai 2. I loved the board game look, and it was nerve-racking being a kid and seeing the enemies get stronger and approach you.

[@vicionator]

As someone that grew up without a ps2 as well, budokai 2 was my first dbz game and pretty much played it till I unlocked everything. After playing almost all of the dbz games that came afterwards I really appreciate what they did for dragonworld and a lot of the whacky what if inclusions they added. Was really bummed out it wasn't included in the hd collection.

[@RedTygon]

This is actually one of my fave Dragonball games. It had some unique ideas and fun concepts like Buu absorbing Frieza and Cell and goofy fusions like Tiencha and Gokule.

[@VirtualLegacy]

Buu even has a form where he absorbs Tien and loses some power haha

[@RedTygon]

@@VirtualLegacy Well he absorbs Tien and Yamcha. Not as bad as Budokai 1 where Cell has a nightmare of accidently absorbing Krillin and getting beaten up by first Yamcha and then Tien.

[@BrownieDoesGames]

This video is super high quality, thanks for hitting a special place in my heart!

[@GodNoodle_]

I was shocked to see by the end of the video that you had less then 100 subs, this video was really well done, and even made me wanna try the game out, Much love and keep up the great work you've won a sub today👍 (Would you consider doing a video on one of the budokai tenkaichi games ?)

[@VirtualLegacy]

I definitely will get around to it! I played a ton of Tenkaichi 2 on my Wii back in the day 😀

[@CoyoteCocktail]

i would've never guessed that this game is controversial. i loved it as a kid and must have gotten at least 300 hours out of it. i also loved the story mode. every DBZ rehashes the same events over and over and over. at least in budokai 2, you could experience it in a different way, and i loved how many characters had unique dialogue depending on who you brought to the map. for me, the story mode would have been perfect if every character had their own model in their over world, as opposed to hopping around like boardgame pieces, but i still love this game and now want to replay it.

[@Abishek97]

Loved this game so much as a kid and I was really gutted it didn’t appear inthe remastered. There was so much replay value in this!

[@JOK3RC4RDx]

Yeah me too and I heard it was copyright issues not bc it was unliked

[@tacobelldude8518]

as a player who understands the more competitive aspects of budokai, this game is much better than b1 but much worse than b3 or infinite world when it comes to actually fighting, combos barely connect half the time when charge canceling but it actually works unlike b1. ontop of that this game still has ultimate inputs which adds a bit of sauce to big combos and damage output. i loved this game as a kid and i bought it later as a teen at gamestop just to play it again and it was an amazing experience, great video btw, i love it!

[@Shibefu]

The Dragon World board game, and Babidi's Spaceship brought so much replay value to the game. There were so many alternatives as you play and different dialogue, and it's a shame that it was received to negatively. It was truly ahead of it's time.

[@IhatenaldsMcDo]

35 seconds in and I can already tell I'm gonna watch the whole video. Now that's remarkably uncommon for KZbin.

[@sen6516]

As much as I enjoyed B3's intro, B2's intro song is still my favorite. Nostalgia probably, I remember hearing that intro being looped in a shopping center when the game was released back then and man was it pure hype fuel.

[@EWOODJ]

I loved Dragon World. People hated it due to timing. The US was hot off the Buu Saga and the whole world just had a decent story mode from Budokai 1 the previous year. I guess people back then wanted the exact same thing but with an extra saga tacked on. The devs clearly didn’t want to make the exact same story mode from the previous game. So they made Dragon World. If it came out nowadays, people would love it and try to uncover all its secrets. I wish we could get an expanded version of this for a future DB game. Also, the game mechanics in the Budokai series is much deeper than most people realize. The combo system is freaking insane. All charge moves can be cancelled to extend combos. Of course you can’t just mash to get good. You need good timing and spacing.

[@IsuKen]

I played Budokai 2 so much as a kid. I loved going through the maps over and over to see how the different characters interacted with the enemies, it was such a fresh take compared to all the other DBZ games that followed the story by the letter.

[@karmatem]

outstanding video! growing up i really liked budokai 2's fusion mechanic and honestly thought the dragon world was pretty cool as well. seeing it all again is so nostalgic!

[@H0BLER]

Keep up the great work man! Budokai 2 was my first exposure to DB funnily enough and I was so confused by the story lol. Subscribed tho, can’t wait to see what you do next

[@airbo5104]

Mad respect for the Sunny podcast shirt Fun fact Chris sabet was wearing a Rum Ham shirt when recording one time haha

[@Fricc169]

This is a very well put together video, I expected you to have like at least 45-50 thou subscribers

[@bignewsmorgans93]

Good video, subbed. Hope you do more classic DB games. Looking forward to seeing this channel blow up so I can say I was one of the first 1k subs.

[@VirtualLegacy]

I appreciate the sub! I'll be making plenty of more videos in the future including other Dragon Ball games as well.

[@Msteropuppets97]

The first Budokai was my personal favourite, I remember when I got it for the Gamecube at Christmas when I was 5, my mum knew I was a Dragon Ball fan and she knew it was going to make me happy, 4 years later I got a PS2 and now I have recently got Budokai again and the memories came flooding back and I burst into tears, rest easy mum and tell King Kai and Akira Toriyama I said "Hey" love you so much mum ❤❤❤❤

[@esai2hottie]

Thank you for putting this video together! I spent many hours of my childhood playing the Budokai and Tenkaichi trilogies, but this game specifically held a special place in my heart for how different it was. I absolutely loved the replay value, and would love checking out the different fusions and unlockables that this game had. Definitely don't see why so many people have a dislike towards this game. Seems like it's one of those "popular to hate" kind of games.

[@harraldaguilar9164]

If Budokai 2 has a million fans, then I am one of them. If Budokai 2 has ten fans, then I am one of them. If Budokai 2 has only one fan then that is me. If Budokai 2 has no fans, then that means I am no longer on earth. If the world is against Budokai 2, then I am against the world.

[@PikaLink91]

I loved this game's story mode and the strategicness of the game board. How you could pick up stat buffs but also didn't want your enemies to grab them and lots of other stuff you go through in the video.

[@lahmsauce5759]

Played this game from my brothers ps2 as I kid. Must’ve been like 6 or 7 years old playing it. One of the highlights of my childhood and got me into anime as a kid. Very thankful for this game

[@SuperSohSo]

SAME

[@midgardrichard]

This game was so awesome and I never understood the negative reception towards it. I loved that it went nuts with a bunch of what-if scenarios, fusions and absorptions for Super Buu as well. Still pissed you can't actually play as the Majin variants of Frieza and Cell though lol. Good review!

[@UltraSnance]

This channel is underrated

[@ilohki2570]

Definitely a underrated game in the series!!! Glad you made a video explaining and going in depth with this as well. Notice you're still early in the youtube career so I'm excited to see your future videos grow from the beginning dude

[@aarong8099]

Amazing video! Budokai 2 was greatly overshadowed, but as a kid I still loved going through the story so many times.

[@ellie7252]

you made this video with such lucky timing! the algorithm will favour it.

[@Exterm14dexyrez]

Would love to see your retrospective on the raging blast series and especially raging blast 2s galaxy mode! Underrated as hell! Hope to see you break thousands real soon.

[@VirtualLegacy]

I'll be getting around to more Dragon Ball games in the future. Up next I'm doing a retrospective of a survival horror classic's Wii version 😉

[@Exterm14dexyrez]

@@VirtualLegacy Can't wait to see it

[@Electric-Wind-Hook-Fist]

How tf do you only have 187? This editing is AMAZING quality. Keep up the great work m8

[@Rewolweri]

What I remember vividly was each time you got your ass beaten by Kid Buu, he kept furiously beating up your defeated body until the fade out. Now that's ruthless.

[@reidlindsey4838]

I’m so happy to see someone who doesn’t shit on this game just because of the story mode. This was my first DBZ game and I always have a blast coming back to it. Also I didn’t know about the cell game rules! I always wanted to use fusions in the tournaments and didn’t know there was a way to do it! I can’t wait to try that out when I get my ps2 hooked up!

[@darknessmechainvader4960]

The fact that capcom still included dmc 2 (also the most controversial game in it’s series) in the dmc hd collection, there was NO EXCUSE to leave out budokai 2 in the budokai hd collection!

[@ralonnetaph6450]

I had a friend stay at my place for a couple months a while back and when he saw Budokai 2 on my shelf we had to break it out for a couple days, and man, it's painful to realize I went from beating it on Z difficulty just because I felt like it to struggling to get through the later sections of the story on normal. It was just one of those things where it used to be one of the things I considered myself legitimately good at and learning it is in fact not like riding a bicycle where you never really forget, just stung. I had to actually look through the skills and learn I could cheese the game with heart virus to beat it instead of just slapping 3 levels of basic kamehameha super saiyan and chi chi's wish on them like I used to.

[@x.x.x.9983]

Great video! Would love more about Sagas or Burst Limit.

[@VirtualLegacy]

I want to do a video on Sagas in the future. I have a copy on my original Xbox. I revisited it briefly and man that game is rough haha.

[@zeke547]

surprised your channel isnt bigger this video is very good

[@slambamcam]

Loved this video, I’m so glad I found this channel!

[@teemanville-dl3fm]

My favorite memory’s are playing this game ❤️ your video was very well made thank you sir!

[@Soulx1337]

Great video! Loved it, was a joy to watch

[@balrog121]

Budokai 2 was my favourite growing up. It's the only game in the series that included Gokule who was a 2 second gag where Goku considered what would happen if he used the Potara with Hercule. Gokule has two different models depending on who you play as when you initiate the fusion. It was also the only game to include Super Buu forms where he absorbed Cell and Frieza.

[@Chaosic]

Good times I remember playing this game when I was middle school and the other budokai games.

[@ssj2rhandy]

Good retrospective dude Budokai 2 is an interesting sequel I enjoyed the what if’s that were made exclusively for the game

[@Blujul]

Thank you for sharing this video! I recently got a ps2 and decided to beat DBZB3 once again however I have never played B2 so thanks to your video now I get a very thorough idea of how the game is like. I'll definitely give it a try!

[@34_Israel]

You're doing good. Under 200 subs and your engagement is better than people with 10 times your sub count. You're gonna get far, man.

[@Headsale]

Great video, love the always sunny podcast shirt too 👀

[@VirtualLegacy]

I was wondering if anyone would notice haha

[@blok--head7472]

Strange board game mode aside, Budokai 2 wasn't as bad as some like to suggest, maybe obsolete due to Budokai 3 surpassing its mechanics and roster, but as a whole it wasn't a terrible game by any means. *(Glares at Taiketsu for GBA.)* Plus the intro animation and theme song were pretty damn awesome booting it up for the first time.

[@miguelrobb5719]

Think of budokai 2 as the red headed step child. You are right that budokai 3’s improve mechanics and roster makes this game obsolete. Heck. You even have a better reason for playing budokai 1 over 2

[@Via_Satellite]

The intro was indeed a classic.

[@KnucklesWTD]

@@miguelrobb5719 Budokai 1 is bare and tells the same story you’ve already seen a million times.

[@KingJadInfiniteHope]

@@KnucklesWTD budokai 1 not only has rock the dragon as the intro, but it was the first and only dbz game at the time to have fully animated cutscenes which are still amazing today. the graphics are also more pleasing to look at than Budokai 2, 2 just looks weird because they were trying to get to 3 without knowing it if that makes sense. 2 has the awful dragon world board game. 1 & 3 are the only ones i play today and i own all 3, no one back in the day was saying Budokai 2 was a good game, if they did it would have been in the hd collection. the game isn’t good.

[@KnucklesWTD]

@@KingJadInfiniteHope you might as well play burst limit if you want cutscenes. The board game is unique and stands out in 2023, when everyone knows the story of dragon ball already. Budokai 2 had far superior gameplay than 1 and a bigger roster,and has aged much better. It was not in the collection because Bandai wanted to save money and was lazy, that’s all.

[@zodiac909]

Immediately subbed to your channel due to the type of content you focus on! Maybe do Budakai 3 next?

[@VirtualLegacy]

I think I'll be doing a video on the original Budokai after my Stalker SOC one

[@MrThat0neperson]

This is still my favorite Budokai (including Tenkaichi) game, mainlyfor the oddball fusions/absorptions. Plus the story mode was interesting (maybe not my favorite, but a fun divergence from everything else, if only for this one time) and felt somewhat novel. I went out of my way to buy this again as an adult.

[@BazZx]

Great video bro, this unlocked some memories playing with some friends after school lol

[@SomniaCE]

Well this dropped just in time for BT4 to push it into my feed! Don't know much about that era of DBZ games so this was a lovely watch!

[@JakeyC56]

Man the nostalgia from this yo. I love this game cause of the crazy fusion and the dragon world concept. I know the original music was copyrighted and stolen but shit as a kid playing this on the ps2 that shit didn't matter to me at all. Great vid man totally subbed 👍

[@selph8278]

the timing for this video was perfect lol enjoy your trip on the algorithm bro ✌️

[@baseballprospectanalysis]

This is a great well put together video! Earned my sub! Hopefully the algorithm pushes this video for you.

[@TapathyWR]

I'm still learning new things about this game. On my recent run through on the stage where Majin Buu first appears, I was a bit slower than usual killing him. Majin Vegeta becomes Vegeta again after Babidi dies, but remains an enemy and roams the map. I didn't realize that he will slowly make his way to Buu if you don't kill him first, and the sacrifice attack will play out like in the anime, allowing you to skip fighting fat buu.

[@marquisgray8055]

Proud you mention broken analog stick. same thing applied for the PlayStation. Plus, the fact it took annoying combo to launch the ultimate attacks. One of the few games that made me salty.

[@ThePeachTube]

Absolutely my favorite DBZ game of all time

[@Madrid2302]

Quality vid my guy! Keep it up!!!

[@DUKEHQ723]

Easiest way to go through Dragonworld is equipping Viral Heart Disease, Vaccine, and Sensu Bean. Trick for getting through Tournament easily can also be used to get through Dragonworld easily. Kid Buu becomes a cake walk after doing this. Although, you have to sacrifice transformations. I played Budokai 2 on PS2 when it first came out. And remember it being a tough playthrough without the tricks. Like you mentioned, especially Kid Buu at the end.

[@joemarchione97]

My very first introduction to Dragonball Z was the first Budokai game. My friend brought it over one day and left it there, so I ended up playing it all week and I became obsessed. When Budokai 2 came out, I was beyond excited because of how much I loved the original. I had played that so much that I was very familiar with the story but didn't realize there was a whole other saga until I played 2. I was 7 when 2 came out and Super Buu's super aggressive attitude actually scared the crap out of me. I loved that game but largely stopped playing it when Budokai 3 came out. That said, I was very disappointed when it wasn't on the HD collection.

[@ZeroOmega-vg8nq]

Well made for a small channel. Good job. I remember abusing the game in my gamecube

[@VenomousJoker9097]

Great video on my favorite DBZ game! I subbed, and I look forward to more awesome content. My favorite character to play as is definitely Super Buu. So many awesome absorbed transformations. 😁

[@VirtualLegacy]

True! The addition of the Cell, Frieza and other non canon absorptions are a fun addition.

[@jamesfort3]

I remember how many hours I would just grind to get certain skills after reading skill books then when I lost my memory card and started over I found cheats to get more Zeni. Man I miss this game

[@funnybutscary75]

I remember reading the gamepro magazine before this game came out and was fascinated of all the new characters and graphics. Even though my friend owned the game I still have a lot of nostalgia.

[@KDuff-2015]

Budokai 2 was a great game! It had its own uniqueness to it the only bad thing is it fell between 2 greater games in Budokai 1 & 3. I still felt like they should have kept Budokai 1 graphics & cutscenes for the entire series

[@porterdavis1612]

I remember getting this game for my 8th birthday and giving up on it because I didn’t understand how to play the story mode and was basically bad at tournament mode. Too fast for my small young brain lol. I eventually bought this game along with the other ones further down the road for my ps2 and really enjoyed it. Budokai 3 is my favorite but I’ll never forget the nostalgia for this one. Plus the cool silver cover!

[@1fobas]

Man! This video gave me so much nostalgia. I got this game in 4th grade the week Budokai 3 came out. I used to have so much trouble finding all the combinations to unlock characters. I took me a year to unlock all the characters and still continued playing Budokai 2 for years to come. My brother was 11 months old when I got the game and he eventually grew up and started playing the game with me by the time he was 6. Each of us in separate copies of Budokai 2(two copies at home) but we barely get to play it these days😢😢😭😭. YOU SIR EARNED A LIKE!

[@VirtualLegacy]

Glad I could provide some nostalgia!

[@literaryloser4470]

My introduction to DB was this game and boy let me tell you it really was whiplash going to other games. I mainly played this game due to the capsule cheat I saw in a cheat magazine (the glitch he mentions). I also had Budokai Tenkaichi 1 but this one was more fun with the cheat. But once I got BT2 I basically never looked back. But watching this video really hits me with nostalgia at how this game made me imagine the Dragon World before really learning the story.

[@VirtualLegacy]

Budokai 2 and BT2 are my most played DBZ games

[@DarkMetalGortex]

I did the cheat for the PS2 version like every time. Idc, I was like 12 and didn't like to grind. My friend thanked me for saving the headache and we immediately hopped into versus mode where I spammed fusions and Goku's many, many transformations.

[@rekora1045]

Your content is so good! Why didn't you become a KZbinr sooner, LOL? I needed this video like last year! Never subbed so fast!

[@VirtualLegacy]

Appreciate it!

[@VishisTV]

I like that they made it so you could use special moves without inputing a combo unlike DBZB1 and had the aura lighting color accurate unlike budokai 3

[@JanjoZone]

I remember a friend had this on ps2 before the gc port and I was so curious on how fusions or Buu's absorption worked.

[@javaghoul6302]

Ahh... the memories..my childhood buying this in the summer and playing with my brother all summer long unlocking everything we could. Miss those days

[@gaberistich2570]

subbed because this video hope to see more dragon ball z game videos ps2/gamecube area videos like superhero ones or even licensed

[@VirtualLegacy]

I'll be getting around to plenty more in the future! Resident Evil 4 on the Wii is the next video retrospective.

[@monkoloko827]

I always LOVED the board game story mode as a kid. I always wondered why they didn't keep it in Budokai 3... Seems it was an unpopular opinion lol

[@masonite2356]

Dude you should have like, WAY more subscribers. Excellent job, you earned a sub from me.

[@tikkelbikkel]

Budokai 2 is my proper introduction to DBZ. I accidentally bought it with my dad because my friends were playing Tenkaichi 2 at the time, and it looked really good. I was like 9 or 10 years old. I didn't even realize the mistake at the time, I thought maybe it was a console difference. But I started playing and I quickly found out how cool Dragonball is. I remember always letting the intro play, because it was so damn good, I still play that shit like crazy. Unlocking everything was a blast to me. So I only have fond memories of constantly replaying the admittedly out-of-place boardgame storymode. I LOVED it though, it was challenging enough at the time, but not impossible. And it was FUN. Finally unlocking all the characters made me feel pretty damn good. I specifically remember having to beat Super Buu as Hercule to unlock Videl. But then we got a Wii with Tenkaichi 2, which had a horrible intro, but everything about the game was a million times better. But still, Budokai 2 will always hold a special place in my heart.

[@Gilbert_Dice_Gottfried]

Budokai 2 story mode was so fun. I loved using characters that weren’t even in the story during the fights/sagas the story was depicting. Like using supreme Kai against Nappa or Yamcha against kid buu or something like that. It was stimulating for the imagination. Plus, the kid buu fight was almost impossible. Also, the game really improved on budokai 1 in just about every way possible. We wouldn’t have had budokai 3 if 2 wasn’t made first. I had some of the best times playing that game.

[@Green815]

The one thing Budokai 2 had over all the other games was that the soundtrack was done by Tower of Power, one of my favourite bands.